


Numerology and Gramatica

by thatfangirl



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-06-05
Updated: 2004-06-05
Packaged: 2017-10-05 11:50:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatfangirl/pseuds/thatfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Divination may be wooly, but Hermione finds Arithmancy—and Padma—harder to ignore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Numerology and Gramatica

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Deepdarkwaters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deepdarkwaters/gifts).



> Written for thieving_gypsy as part of hpfemslashfic. Set during _Order of the Phoenix_.

Hermione's first, uncharitable thought was to wonder what Parvati was doing in the library. Then she saw the blue and bronze badge.

Padma whispered a request to borrow the Arithmancy reference, once Hermione was done with it, of course. Hermione didn't see why they couldn't share, so Padma set her stack of books beside Hermione's. As Padma bent low over the reference, the hair that had escaped her plait fell into her eyes. With reflexive fastidiousness, Hermione used her quill to tuck the hair behind Padma's ear; Padma raised an eyebrow and Scourgified the ink from Hermione's fingers.

As the ink returned to Hermione's fingers while they complied their number charts in companionable silence, Hermione converted and reduced the letters in Patil. After Madam Pince had ushered them from the library and Hermione had returned to Gryffindor Tower, she watched Parvati's brush slide through her hair one-hundred times and began to compile the differences between Padma and her sister.

*

Hermione was surprised that the water did not boil where it touched her skin. Beneath the watchful eye of the mermaid on the wall, she lapped the tub until her anger drained and her arms became heavy, then turned slow somersaults beneath the water. The weightlessness and freedom reminded her of how she had imagined flying to be, before she had discovered her unnerving ineptitude on a broomstick.

She paddled to the half-submerged stairs and had just placed a foot on the bottom step when she saw Padma. The thought of a sympathetic listener reignited her rage and, waist-deep in the water, Padma's gaze dropping to her Muggle bathing suit, Umbridge's latest outrage tripped past Hermione's lips. If Padma wanted to pass her O.W.L., if Padma wanted to survive the war that was coming—

Padma failed to suppress a shudder but Hermione's irritation did not flare. More quietly, she continued that whatever Padma wanted, she needed to practice, she needed to come to the Hog's Head. A blush climbing into her cheeks, Hermione climbed from the pool and gathered her hair into a towel.

Padma pulled her wand from her robe. "_Siccatus_," she said softly and Hermione felt her hair dry. Padma turned away in what Hermione assumed was quaint deference to her modesty, but Hermione still heard "I'll be there" float back over Padma's shoulder.

*

Hermione glanced at Padma as they walked through the hallway. She could afford the distraction, as most of the students had the sense to give them and their prefect badges wide berth. They were patrolling on Flich's order, but Hermione thought that he was right to be concerned: the Christmas holidays would begin in a few days, and the giddy hum of voices that filled the halls as the students filtered from class to class seemed to rise in pitch with each minute that freedom crept closer.

Hermione inquired after Padma's plans for the holiday and Padma confessed that she and Parvati were only going home to their family. Hermione volunteered that her family was going skiing and, having already been forced to explain the sport to Ron, was half-way through describing the chairlift when Padma interrupted.

"I know," she said. "I borrowed some Muggle Studies books from the library."

"Oh," Hermione said inelegantly and turned to quiet some first-years.

*

Despite her membership in the D.A., Hermione had never considered Parvati to be remotely brave, but on that Thursday, had there been room in Hermione's head for anything but Ancient Runes, she might have granted that Parvati did possess a bit of Gryffindor courage for daring to approach her during O.W.L.s week.

Lavender sneaked concerned glances at Parvati from across the common room—Hermione imagined that her tea leaves had depicted Hermione shoving her inkwell down Parvati's throat—while Parvati, with the typical unconcern of one sister doing a minor favor for another, asked if Hermione would make plans to study Arithmancy with Padma. Hermione remembered the way that Padma's lips had curved as she had watched Hermione's otter gambol around the Room of Requirement that last D.A. meeting. She stopped re-reading her Ancient Runes notes long enough to perform some Arithmancy on her own, then told Parvati that she would owl her sister, assuming she could find the time. Left unspoken was that Parvati was currently wasting hers.

A week and a day later, when the only thing left for Hermione to study was the ceiling of the hospital wing, she admitted that she had never intended to owl Padma at all.

*

Padma found her on the train. The other prefects had scattered to compare rumors of the battle at the Ministry of Magic and Hermione had fled to the empty prefects' compartment for respite from Harry's broken look.

"How are you?" Padma asked.

Hermione's mouth opened. She had lead Umbridge to the centaurs, she had fought Death Eaters and nearly died, Sirius _had_ died, and Harry... Finally, inanely, she said, "I mistranslated 'ehwaz' on my Ancient Runes O.W.L."

To her credit, Padma did not laugh. Instead, she sat beside Hermione and kissed her.

The compartment swayed as the Hogwarts Express clacked its way back to London. An older witch pushing a tea cart ducked in to offer them pastries and pumpkin juice.

Once the witch had left, Padma said, "You didn't answer my question."

Hermione blinked uncertainly, unable to remember what Padma had asked. Hermione reminded herself that Padma's kiss should not have surprised her; months ago the numbers had reduced to this inexorable conclusion, which suddenly didn't feel like much of a conclusion at all.

"Well," said Padma, drawing herself to her feet, "you can always owl me when you figure it out." There was a tremor in her voice.

"Padma, wait!" Hermione caught her by the wrist before she could leave the compartment. She paused to study Padma, the weave of her plait, the shape of her lips, then leaned forward and kissed Padma's cheek. "I'm feeling a bit better now, actually."

Padma, to her credit, laughed.


End file.
